That empty feeling

Yeah,  that's pretty much how it works.  Sometime standing up and bending forward helps things move down.     

This is pretty normal. At 8 days post-op you might consider the 10-minute two-trip process to achieve that empty feeling to be a great success. You are likely over time to discover strategies that supplement gravity, such as the maneuver @girlunky suggests trying. Do make sure that you’re drinking enough water to make your urine light-colored - this will help keep your stool from getting too formed.

Yes, my pouch has been faking me out since day 1.
I can’t tell you how many times I have stood up and cleaned myself and walked over to the sink to wash my hands only to have to sit on the toilet again 😕

what I have discovered is that if I turn on the bidet next to the toilet and put my hand in to  feel the water temperature, I get the urge to pee. I use my core muscles to push out the remaining pee, stool and gas.

now of course I have to hold my groin in so I don’t make my hernia any worse. This works for me, but you might hurt yourself doing what I do, so use caution.

I'll add to the advice given not to strain. It can lead to mucosal prolapse in some people which can make it even harder to evacuate fully. I read here early on where someone had posted to focus on using abdominal muscles instead of pelvic floor muscles and this helped me quite a bit.

Thank you, all. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. Makes me feel like I’m flying a little less by the seat of my pants.

I am literally in the same boat as you are and had my second takedown on December 6th. I havent used my j-pouch in over 15 months. I your pouch is nee it will take time to increase the volume of stool you can hold.  Its not comfortable but it helps to try to delay voiding when the urge hits. I got my j-pouch in 1993.  And eventually got off of all medication. I was told by the surgeon that people with an intact GI tract empty about 60% of their waste during a bowel movement and people with a J-pouch only empty around 40%. I learned to gently press on my empty bladder and lean forward and bare down i was able to empty almost completely both stool and gas.  Post surgery i am too sore to resume that practice but look forward to being able to do that once i am healed. A rocking motion also helps when baring down. These tips work for me and may help you as well. Hang in there and know you are not alone. Wish you patience and a speedy recovery.

@THE KID did you have a jpouch redo or why a second takedown? I'm heading to my second takedown after a redo

First symptoms of UC 11/1992 which became life threatening within 6 months

Colectomy & J-Pouch creation with loop Ileostomy 5/1993

1st takedown 7/1993

Loop ileostomy due to peritonitis and sepsis 8/31/2020

UC was misdiagnosed and was confirmed to be Crohn's disease.

2nd takedown 12/6/2021

I did not undergo a redo.